Stamford Approves Buyout Program For South St Bridge

STAMFORD – Stamford village trustees tabled approval last month, seeking clarification, to approve a resolution that would put a South Street home in the flood buyout program and clear the way for a culvert replacement on South Street.

The funds to purchase the home are being made available through the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) through its NYC Funded Flood Buyout Program. 

The rental home, owned by Beau Ballard, qualifies for the program in order for Delaware County to replace the failed culvert located close to the property and qualified under the the flood hazard mitigation program.

The property at 3 South Street has been recommended for a stream stabilization project due to the poor alignment and instability of the river upstream of the proposed West Branch Delaware River culvert on South Street. It is believed the home is also being undermined by the stream. It is being proposed by the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District, in cooperation with the village, which will eventually take ownership of the property. 

The resolution states the "Village agrees to take title to the property and agrees to manage it in accordance with a re-use plan prepared by the village that identifies its long-term plan for the management, use, and development of the parcel. Any activities must comply with the restrictions of flood-prone areas."

Mayor Robert Schneider has indicated the village has no plans to develop the parcel.

The bridge, which is actually a stone culvert, was closed in December 2019, following a failed inspection. A hole in the pavement created a hazardous situation. Rocks in the stone culvert had shifted and there was the fear of catastrophic failure. The inspection of the structure by Cedarwood Engineering indicated the entire structure is compromised and further use would lead to its complete failure. Village officials held an emergency meeting to completely close off the culvert/bridge and a section of South Street was closed as the village began to research ways to get it reopened and find the funding to help with the cost.

The rock work is considered a culvert, it is a dry-laid fieldstone archway (or bridge) that was constructed over the creek in the 19th Century. It does not meet the requirements for the 100-year flood as required for all new culvert construction/replacement, according to Schneider. Since it lies within the village, its replacement and cost fall totally on the village. Estimates at the time indicated it could cost $300,000 to $500,000.

Researching replacement has involved numerous agencies, including the city DEP.

By April of 2020, a temporary bridge had been installed by Delaware County and that bridge has held up, however, residents of the village have been complaining about the condition of the bridge and wondering when it will be permanently fixed.

Schneider said that each spring it is put at the top of the list for repair by the county and that it has been a timely process. The engineering has been done by DCSWCS and the home must go through the buyout process and then removed to allow the proper alignment for the new, larger culvert.

At this point, said Schneider, the project is in the hands of the DCSWCS and the county Department of Public Works. "It is out of our hands at this point," said Schneider. "It is a $500,000 project that the village could not afford to undertake. The replacement is in the works."

The time frame for the buyout purchase and closing on the property and then the razing of the home is likely to take some time yet before the actual replacement can take place.